Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 52 |
| 1877 | 34 |
| 1878 | 30 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 10 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 41 |
| 1884 | 34 |
| 1885 | 41 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 35 |
| 1888 | 62 |
| 1889 | 101 |
| 1890 | 16 |
| 1891 | 67 |
| 1892 | 119 |
| 1893 | 95 |
| 1894 | 72 |
| 1895 | 130 |
| 1897 | 7 |
| 1898 | 15 |
| 1899 | 31 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 67 |
| 1904 | 21 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 30 |
| 1909 | 65 |
| 1910 | 23 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 18 |
| 1915 | 20 |
| 1916 | 43 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 21 |
| 1924 | 10 |
| 1925 | 11 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
1,373 stories matching develop
- The Hop Fever Gripping Puyallup
As hop vines hit 21 inches in the fertile valley, a local developer and hop baron makes big moves to capitalize on the boom.
- The Tieton Gold Rush
Seattle mining experts claim they have found a fortune in gold-bearing rock in the Tieton drainage.
- The Empire Builder’s Pacific Dream
Railroad tycoon James J. Hill argues that the future of Northwest agriculture depends not on Europe, but on aggressively securing trade routes to China.
- The Pioneers of Whidbey Island Orchards
A look at the early fruit industry in Island County and the lessons learned by the region's first orchardists.
- The Timber Monopoly Holding Everett Hostage
A fiery editorial calls out the Puget Mill Company for hoarding vast tracts of land and artificially inflating timber prices while ignoring the welfare of the local community.
- Water Wars in the Yakima Valley
A bitter dispute over irrigation rights threatens to stall critical development for the county.
- Smallpox Returns to Walla Walla
City and county officials establish a new health board as cases emerge at the local pest house.
- 1888 Seattle Development Offered 60 Lots and Five Cottages
Developers used a high-stakes giveaway to lure buyers to the city’s growing outskirts, blending real estate speculation with a chance at a 'small fortune.'
- The Day Smallpox Walked the Streets: How One Man’s Ignorance Sparked Spokane’s Deadliest Epidemic
A drunk man wandering through downtown Spokane with a rash on his face nearly triggered a disaster that killed hundreds—until a sharp-eyed pharmacist stepped in.
- Turning Lakes into Pearl Factories
A University of Washington professor claims the Pacific Northwest could dominate the global pearl button market by transplanting Mississippi mussels.
- The Morning the Earth Shook in Seattle
An unusually violent tremor rattles early risers in 1886, marking a moment of shared alarm in the developing town.
- The Unpaid Streets of Tacoma
A bitter legal battle reveals the messy, unpaved reality of infrastructure development in late 19th-century Tacoma, pitting laborers against local developers.
- The Rivalry of the Sound: Seattle vs. Tacoma
A critical report from a German newspaper highlights the starkly different development paths of the two boomtowns.
- The Twin Cities Celebrate the Open River
Kennewick and Pasco host a grand banquet with state governors and senators to mark the new era of Columbia River navigation.
- The Land Commissioner Halts the Olympic Highway Land Rush
Speculators are lining up to snap up land along the new Olympic Highway, but State Land Commissioner C. V. Savidge says the state isn't selling yet.
- Untangling the 'Ram's Horn' Rail Lines
A committee of aldermen pushes to straighten a confusing rail right-of-way that crippled Seattle's waterfront development.
- A Promised Fortune in Kittitas Mines Turns to Legal War
John R. Wolcott promised to develop eight mining claims on Negro Creek, but when the ore proved worthless, the owners tried to cancel his contract—and he sued to keep his third interest.
- A House and Lot for Sale on Second Street (Dec 25, 1876)
A quiet real estate listing from 1876 highlights the rapid development of early Seattle’s residential landscape.
- Puyallup Land Sale Proposal Stirs Tacoma Speculators
As Tacoma developers salivated over tribal lands, a prominent Puyallup leader took his case to Washington D.C. to navigate the complex, often predatory, future of his people's property.
- The Disappearing Doctor of Port Angeles
After spinning elaborate tales of Irish estates and gold mines to his neighbors, a local physician flees with stolen instruments and borrowed furniture.
- Chicago Capital Asks Newport for a 50-Year Power Franchise
A $10 million consolidation swallows up regional electric plants and promises 24-hour service, but first it wants the city council to extend the Northern Electric franchise for half a century.
- Valley Residents Unite for Development League
A new organization formed between White Bluffs and Hanford aims to secure legislative support and better infrastructure for the Priest Rapids Valley.
- Life and Labor at the Carbon Coal Mines
A look inside the 1878 mining boom in Wilkeson, where company-owned land and rugged infrastructure defined the lives of the workers.
- An English Syndicate Bets $100,000 on Stevens County Lead and Silver
A Chicago mining journal tours the Metaline district, where companies are sinking shafts, building tramways and waiting on a railroad to turn lead and silver claims into a boom.
- The Tragedy of the Salmon Bay Shipyard
A maritime accident in the newly developing industrial tideflats of late 1889 reveals the human cost of Seattle's rapid expansion.